Graceful Humanities student in traditional Japanese yukata

This is a practical part of the subject “Japanese Customs and Society” of the Bachelor of Japanese Studies program. After theoretical lessons on the history of the formation and transformation of traditional Japanese costumes, organizing a competition for students to wear yukata and try out different ways of tying obi helps students become more excited about the subject and quickly grasp the necessary skills.

During the experience of wearing traditional Japanese Yukata, USSH students were introduced to basic obi tying methods and directly instructed on how to wear yukata "according to Japanese standards" by Ms. Phan Hai Linh.

Yukata is a traditional Japanese garment made of rough fabrics such as cotton, jute, etc., suitable for summer climate and dynamic activities in folk festivals.

Today, yukata is still commonly used by Japanese people in summer fireworks festivals, travel, or group bonding activities. USSH female students have shown their ingenuity in combining the vibrant colors of the patterns on the yukata with the graceful, prominent lines of the obi belt.

Yukata is usually worn with zori grass sandals or geta wooden clogs. Geta are made of lacquered or natural wood, have a base made of two horizontal wooden bars and hanao (fabric straps) for toe-loops. The combination of the color of the sandals or clogs with the color of the yukata expresses the personality or charm, cuteness, and kawaii of the wearer.

The obi is the belt that fixes the shape of the yukata and is an important highlight of the yukata. The obi is woven from silk or elastic fiber, with prominent embroidery. The obi is used on both sides and has contrasting colors. Nowadays, in the busy modern life, the use of pre-tied obi is quite popular. Therefore, people who have the skill to tie obi using the traditional method are highly appreciated by the Japanese. The female students of USSH enthusiastically participated in the challenge of this special skill and excellently demonstrated their meticulousness, dexterity, and delicate aesthetic sense.

Vu Thi Xuan Thu - K62 student majoring in Japanese Studies shared: “These are valuable experiences for us and are the difference of the Japanese Studies major at USSH. In addition to yukata, we also join the USSH Urasenke tea ceremony club, experiencing many other traditional cultural forms such as calligraphy, flower arrangement... This valuable knowledge and skills will help us empathize and quickly integrate into the Japanese-style working environment in the future.”

The traditional costume experience session brought Japanese language students a lot of useful and interesting knowledge!